9TimesVideoGamesEerily

PredictedTheFuture
http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/9-times-video-games-eerily-predicted-
the-future%e2%80%8f
The future predicted by videogames is almost never good. Everybodys at war with either other
countriesorwithdifferentfactionsinsomepostapocalypticlandscape,orwevebeenenslavedby
robotsand/oraliens,orwevelostallourrightsandhumanitytotechnologicaladvances.Andthats
justtheRatchetandClankseries.Whointheirrightmindwouldwantanyofthehorriblefutures
depictedinvideogamestocometrue?Well,nobody,obviously,althoughwewouldntbesurprised
ifasignificantportionofDayZplayersusethefrighteningopenworldgametotrainfortheactual
zombie apocalypse that theyre sure is coming, and will revolve mainly around the collection of
bakedbeans.Butthatsnottosaythatgamesarentgoodatpredictingthefuture;obviouslywe
wontbesureifwellendupinawartorn(andmechheavy)worldofTitanfalluntilthathappens
ormorelikely,doesnthappenbuttherearetimeswhenthingsinvideogameshave,startlingly,
cometrue.Frompopculturetrendstowarfaretosportingevents,fromtheearlydaysofthearcade
tothenextgen,HDworldsthatactuallylookasrealastheonestheyoutline,herearenineamazing
instancesofvideogamesprovidinganaccuratelookintowhathumanityhadinstore.Someofthem
aresoclosethatitseerie.Beforewestartthough,letshavealookatafuturepredictionthat
turnedouttobecompletenonsense,justtohighlighthowshockingtherestofthemare
Fail:Fallout3
Youprobablysawthisonewhenitwasmakingtheroundsonlineacoupleofyearsago,butitbears
repeating.Fallout3takesplaceinafuturisticUnitedStatesthathasbeencompletelydecimated
byworldwidenuclearwar,mutuallyassureddestructionleavingadesertofirradiatedlandwhere
citiesusedtobe,withpeopleeitherremainingtrappedinundergroundbunkersorputtingtogether
primitiveshantytowns.itcangetamightlonelytraversingthishellish,nearemptylandscape,so
oneofthesolutionsdevelopersBethesdacameupwithwasgivingtheplayeraradiotheycould
tunetovariouspiratestationsonthepostapocalypticairwaves.Thestorywentthatoneofthese
stations,whichbroadcastedmessagesinmorsecode,wasnotonlyfillinginthebackstoryforthe
gamesfuturesetting,butalsomadesomeeerilyaccuratepredictionsaboutthingsthathappened
inreallife.BesidessupposedlyrevealingthatBritneySpearswouldwinanOscarin2023(which
probably wont happen) and the Queen would dieearlier this year (which definitely didnt
happen),thestationwasalsosaidtogetthecorrectdatesfortheBPoilspillandthedeathofGary
Coleman.Itallturnedouttobetotalnonsense,anelaboratehoaxbysomegamingforumchancer,
andhasbeenthoroughlydeniedbyBethesda.Still,itwasfunwhileitlasted,andthereareplenty
ofpredictionsthatwerentmadeofwholecloth.
9.Pac-ManThePrototypicalRaver
An oldie but a goodie, this joke gets misattributed to everyone from Namco themselves to Bill
Gatesfor some reason. In fact the classic oneliner originated with standup comedian Marcus
Brigstocke, and it goes:If PacMan had affected us as kids, wed all be running around in dark
rooms,munchingpillsandlisteningtorepetitiveelectronicmusic.Which,asfarasonelinersgo,
isaprettygoodjoke.Butbesidesbeingratherwittyandaslydigattheconstantmoralpanicsover
whatvideogamesaredoingtokidsbrains,itsalsokindoftrue.TheoriginalPacManarcadegame
came out in 1980, a good ten years before acid house had grown from the ashes of its Chicago
predecessorandgottenyoungpeoplerunningaroundindarkrooms,munchingpillsandlistening
torepetitiveelectronicmusic.Althoughprobablyeatinglesscherries,anddrinkingmoreendless
glassesof water. Brigstockes reaction to the misattribution is pretty amusing too:

8.SmashTVInventsRealityShows(In1990)
RealityTVdominatestheschedulesthesedays,withthelivesoftherichandthefamous,thenot
sorichandfamous,andthecharminglyracistandoutdoorsybeingbeamedintoourlivingrooms
onaregularbasis.Itwasntalwaysthisway,though.Itjustfeelslikeit.Thecurrentbreedofreality
tele has moved slightly away from its original form of the reality sortofgame show that began
with Survivor in 2000, but thats still visible in the likes of Big Brother and The Bachelor. So for
argumentssake,wellput2000downastheyearthatrealityshowsbegantoruleourlivesinabig
badway.InwhichcasearcadegameSmashTVwasaheadofthecurvebyagooddecade,sinceit
hit the market in 1990. The gameplay was pretty much identical to Williams previous title,
Robotron: 2084, but Smash TV introduced a unique backstory for the runandgun action: your
charactersweretakingpartinasortofextremegameshowwheretheyfightfortheirlives,and
millionsofviewerswatchathome,totallyhooked,inasortofdystopianfuturethatsessentially
identicaltoours.
7.PerfectDarkForesaw ABlackPresident
Theres a lot in Rares firstperson shooter for the Nintendo 64 that has yet to come to pass.
Dependingonwhoyouask,atleast,butwerestillprettysurethatwisecrackingalienshaveyetto
visitEarthtohangoutinArea51andgushabouthowmuchtheylovehumanculture.Alsothey
probably wouldnt be called Elvis. That doesnt mean we should totally discount Perfect Darks
ability to predict the future, though. Especially because it was Joanna Dark who foretold of the
comingofBarackObama.Well,notObamaspecifically,butthegamedoesinvolvealevelwhere
thesecretagentJoannaDarkhastorescueafictionalUSpresidentfrom,ahem,theNSA,bygetting
himsafelytohisescapepodandblastinghimoffofAirForceOne.Alsothepresidentisblack.Pretty
progressiveforavideogamefrom2000!Althoughitwassetin2023,meaningtheypossiblywerent
expectingthelikesofObamaforanotherdecade
6. GhostReconGetsTheRussia-GeorgiaWar
RightToTheYear
TomClancy(RIP)rackedupmorecorrectpredictionsthanNostradamusduringhislife.Thatmight
bebecausehefilledhisdoorstopsizedbooksandthegamesandfilmsinspiredbythemwith
somuchunnecessarydetailaboutrealworldpolitics,weaponsandmilitarystrategiesthatatsome
point that thick sludge of information in his fiction was going to hit upon something that then
happened in nonfiction. As in, the real world. Besides foreseeing the recent conflicts between
RussiaandtheUkraineinhisfinalbook,CommandAuthority,thefirstGhostRecongametocarry
ClancysnamealsopredictedaskirmishbetweentheRuskiesandneighbouringGeorgia.Released
way back in 2001, the first entry in the series titled Tom Clancys Ghost Recon centred on a
conflictbetweenRussia,GeorgiaandvariousBalticstates,astheformertriestobringtheformer
Soviet countries back under its control. Also the guy in charge looks a lot like Putin. Finally,the
gamewassetin2008,theveryyearthattheactualconflictbetweenRussiaandGeorgiabrokeout,
whichisprettyeerilyaccurate.
5. HomefrontKnewWhenKimJong-IlWouldDie
Ofcourse,allofusknewthatKimJongIlwouldntliveforever,producinghighqualitycinemaand
keepinguphisrecordbreakinglifetimescoreforamateurgolf.Hehadtoreturntohisoriginalform
and home planeterm, we mean, he was a Supreme Leader but he was ultimately only human.
Betterthanmosthumans,butstillonlyhuman.Whatnoneofuscouldpredictwithanycertainty
wasexactlywhentheoldnutterwouldfinallypophisCommunistclogs.Asamatteroffact,there
was one source that predicted it: firstperson shooter Homefront. Set in an alternate reality
wheretensionsbetweenNorthandSouthKoreawereatbreakingpoint,Homefrontwasactually
closertoreallifethanitleton.Inthegamesbackstorytheywerejustacoupleofweeksoffnailing
thedateKimJongIlactuallydied,butthegamewasdeadonwhenitsfictionalNorthKoreahadthe
reigns of power passed onto Kim JongUn, and that in 2013 the country would start conducting
nucleartests.ThankfullyabsolutelynothingelsefromHomefronthascometopass,butthosethree
coincidencesareimpressiveenoughtous.
4.MaddenKnowsTheResultsOfEverySuper
Bowl
ForthepastdecadeEAhavegottenalotofpublicitysomethingtheyrenotoriouslyshortonby
runningasimulationofeachyearsSuperBowlmatchingthecorrespondingyearsMaddentitle,
thusprovidingapredictionofwhowasgoingtowinthecompetition.Youcanseehowthismight
begoodforEA:notonlydoesitmeanthegamereceivessomeextracolumninches,inbothgaming
publicationsandonthesportspages,butifthepredictionsturnouttobetrueitsevidenceofwhat
anaccurateexperienceoftheNFLtheMaddengamesprovides.Infactitturnsoutthatitssuchan
accuratesimulationofthereallifesportthatEAhavesuccessfullypredictedtheoutcomeofthe
SuperBowleightoutoftentimes.Not100%perfect,admittedly,andtheygotthisyearsresults
spectacularlywrong,butitshardtoarguewiththeirtrackrecord.Theyevenmanagetogetpretty
closetotheactualscores,too,whichjustseemslikeshowingofftous.
3.DeusExAnd9/11
Setinthefarflungfutureof2052,EidosinfluentialcyberpunkgameDeusEx(andthesequelsthat
followed)havealwaysbeenlookingforwardsintermsofhumanevolutionandtechnology,getting
inonthegroundflooroftranshumanismbeforewedevencomeupwiththelikesofGoogleGlass,
letalonebeforewestartedmockingpeopleforwearingGoogleGlass.Forallofitspeeringintothe
futuristicabyssofthesingularitythough,itsoneofDeusExsmorecontemporarypredictionsthat
cametrue.9/11wassuchamomentousandtragiceventofthemodernagethatyoucanbarelygo
onlinewithoutstumblingacrossahalfdozenconspiracytheoriesrelatedtoitespeciallyinpop
culture and plenty of tin foil hat enthusiasts point topredictions of the Twin Towers attack in
various media. In the case of Deus Ex, the World Trade Centre was noticeably absent from the
gamesNewYorkCityskyline;thiswasactuallyduetotechnicallimitations,butEidoswroteinto
thegamesstorythatthebuildingshadbeendestroyedinaterroristattack.Thegamecameoutin
2000,agoodyearbeforethereallifeattacksthatbroughttheTwinTowersdown.Prettyspookyif
youaskus.
2.SolidSnake,TheOriginalEdwardSnowden
If you want to be pedantic about it, its actually Raiden that this happens to. But nobody likes
Raiden,eventhoughitshisportionofMetalGearSolid2:SonsofLibertythathastheclosestties
tolater,reallifeevents.LikeTomClancy,MetalGeardirectorHideoKojimaisacrazyfanofpolitics,
war and military advances, meaning that the games are as filled with actual developments in
society and technology as much as they are with a guy hiding from geneticallyenhanced super
soldiersinacardboardbox.PerhapsthemoststartlingpredictionKojimahasmadeandseencome
truewastheparallelsbetweentheplotofSonsofLibertyandtherecentrevelationsofNSAspying
oncivilians,leakedbywhistleblowerEdwardSnowden.Infact,thegamebeganbyriffingonthe
rumblingsofthePatriotActwhich,inapost9/11US,wouldplaceitscitizensundergreaterand
greatersurveillancebythestate.MetalGearSolid2sclimactictwistdoesgoalittleoverboardwith
regardstoitsshadowygovernmentdealings(thehumangenomegettingmappedandcloned,and
allthat),butitalsointroducedtheSelectionforSocietalSanityprogram,whosedescriptionsounds
exactlyliketheNSAsPRISMsystem,whichmonitoredtheonlinecomingsandgoingsofeveryone.
1.Actually,JustEverythingInMetalGear
Cometothinkofit,theresalotofrealworlddevelopmentsthatKojimahasaccuratelypredicted
inhisgamesaboutthelifeoftheSnakefamily,allofwhomseemtoendupwithaneyepatchfor
somereason.Andalotofthosepredictionsactuallycometrue,giventheirinitialbasisinreality,if
you ignore all the stuff about walking sentient tanks and invisible techno ninjas. In fact, Snake
himselftheclonedsoldierissomethingthatcouldhappentoday,withtheincreasinglyadvanced
cloningtechnologywevegotgoing.ItsnotallDollytheSheepthesedays.Thegenetherapyused
onallthevillainoussoldiersinthegameswhichuptheiraggressionandalertness,butseemingly
weakenstheirnecksisarealthing,althoughittendstogetusedmoreinmedicinethanwarfare.
TheNESMetalGear2,mostbizarrely,foresawtheoilconflictsofthemoderndayandsuggested
algaejuicebeingusedasfuel,whichisactuallystartingtohappen.The9/11attacksalsogotalook
in, as terrorist attacks on US soil were a big part of Metal Gear Solid 2s plot (the Twin Towers
themselveswerecutoutofthegame,whichwasagoodwaysintodevelopmentwhentheycame
down).Thatgamealsofeatureddroneswhich,yknow,areaprettybigtopicthesedays.Thankfully
weveyettogettotheterrifyingunmannedGEKKOsinMGS4,andKojimahasflownrightpastthe
markanumberoftimesnanomachinesarentquiteatthelevelofsophisticationheexpected,
andprivatearmiesofmercenarieshaveyettotaketheplaceofournationsmilitariesbutthe
Metal Gear series has made enough accurate predictions that were fully prepared to have him
burnedatthestakelikethewitchhesoclearlyis.
PCGameCDKeys:
EAGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/publisher/ea.html
RPGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rpggame.html
ACTGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/actgame.html
FPSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/fpsgame.html
AdventureGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/avggame.html
RacingGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/racgame.html
SportGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/sptgame.html
FTGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/ftggame.html
RTSGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/rtsgame.html
SLGGamesCDKeyhttp://www.gamescdkey.com/pcgames/slggame.html